Who painted Universitätsaltar: Hll. Narzissus und Mathäus?

Universitätsaltar: Hll. Narzissus und Mathäus was painted by Unknown in 1513.

Where can I see Universitätsaltar: Hll. Narzissus und Mathäus?

Universitätsaltar: Hll. Narzissus und Mathäus is held by Bavarian State Painting Collections.

What movement is Universitätsaltar: Hll. Narzissus und Mathäus?

Universitätsaltar: Hll. Narzissus und Mathäus is associated with High Renaissance.

Artwork

Universitätsaltar: Hll. Narzissus und Mathäus

Unknown , 1513

Universitätsaltar: Hll. Narzissus und Mathäus is an unspecified painting by the High Renaissance artist Unknown. It dates from 1513 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections. The panel, titled Universitätsaltar: Hll.

About this work

Overview

The panel, titled Universitätsaltar: Hll. Narzissus und Mathäus, presents a pair of figures positioned before a fortified townscape. The left figure, robed in red with gold edging and crowned by a tall mitre, holds a staff topped by a cross.

Adjacent, a second figure in green‑white attire leans on his companion’s shoulder while bearing a black axe mounted on a pole.

Subject & Meaning

The composition juxtaposes a bishop, identifiable by his ecclesiastical garments and crozier, with a companion likely representing Saint Matthew, suggested by the axe, a traditional attribute of the evangelist. Their proximity and the bishop’s supportive hand imply a narrative of guidance or patronage within a scholarly or religious context.

Technique & Style

The artist employs pronounced chiaroscuro, contrasting illuminated forms against a darker landscape to heighten the figures’ three‑dimensional presence. Subtle modeling of the drapery and the crisp rendering of the staff’s metallic sheen demonstrate a careful handling of light and texture.

Context

Set against a medieval castle and town, the background includes laborers attending a corpse and a slain dragon lying in the grass, motifs that echo contemporary allegorical themes of triumph over chaos and the sanctity of the scholarly environment.

Legacy

While the work’s provenance remains uncertain, its integration of saintly iconography with academic symbolism reflects the broader tradition of university altarpieces that linked ecclesiastical authority with the pursuit of knowledge during the late medieval period.